Navigation SD Card replacement

[Seeeker]

I see other posts about he navigation SD card but not exactly the question I have or the information I'm looking for.
I have a 2016.5 CX-5. Navigation is non-functional, the dealership recommends getting the latest updated SD card withe all the latest nav maps/software they offer, $399.95.

Doing a little research I see many cards for sale 3rd party, eBay, Amazon. I also see some comments about cards being locked to a specific vehicle, but I don't fully understand how to verify if this will be a concern.
Trying to determine if these cards will work on my car and hopefully solve the issue. Many are $35-60, which is obviously much smarter than spending $399 a Mazda. Thanks for any tips.

 

[CX5_Driver]

the NAV cards that are for sale on Amazon / Ebay are new, and removed from vehicles that were destined for other regions. Once you insert the NAV card into your vehicle and drive for ~50 miles I believe it becomes locked to your vehicle.

use a seller on Ebay with high ratings; use Ebay buyer protection.

You will be fine for the $35 experiment. Thought I might suggest reading the thread about cleaning the SD card.

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[Buzzman12]

the dealership recommends getting the latest updated SD card withe all the latest nav maps/software they offer, $399.95.

Can't get over the fact that Mazda can justify charging that much for the SD card.
Highway robbery.
Go third party for sure.

 

[7eregrine]

My Mazda 6 buddy bought one on Ebay. Works flawlessly. She paid like $80. That was 3 years ago though.

 

[wlong01]

I bought one online for $40.00. Popped it in my 16 Touring and it worked flawlessly.

 

[Ranman57]

I bought a card from eBay for 50 bucks for my '20 GT, an "L" if I remember correctly, and it worked fine for a month then went belly up for no discernable reason. It wouldn't even show up on my computer, it was just dead. So I bought another one for 37 bucks that's an "M" and it works fine. The cards are supposed to have the free 3 year update but I'm a little skeptical about that working, time will tell. But even if you have to buy a new one every year - assuming it comes with the latest map version - you're still way ahead of the 400 bucks Mazda gets.

As an editorial comment, I don't see how Mazda can sell any model that comes with the HUD and not have the GPS as part of the deal. For me a big part of the HUD is to have the GPS info right up front, which you don't get using Apple or Android as your GPS. Just my .02...

 

[Conrad 16.5]

I bought a NAV card from Amazon for my MX-5, $80 at that time. The card did nothing when I inserted it in the car's reader, nothing. The card wasn't recognized at all.

I contacted the seller on Amazon and told him of the issue. The seller asked me to disconnect my battery and try it again. I was quite certain that disconnecting the battery wasn't going to change a thing so I told him that I tried that and nothing changed. He sent me out another card, it looked identical to the first card but it worked perfectly. I was even able to update the NAV software using Mazda Toolbox after driving the required number of miles to mate the card to my car. I have two more updates available (according to the Toolbox) before it expires sometime next year.

 

[7eregrine]

The cards are supposed to have the free 3 year update but I'm a little skeptical about that working, time will tell.

It absolutely is true.